Ethereum: Post-Liquidation Analysis of Contract Open Interest, ETF Fund Inflows, On-Chain Data, and Token Inflation

After experiencing this wave of liquidations, market disappointment in Ethereum has peaked. There are also rumors that certain industry whales or institutions being liquidated

After experiencing a significant drop, the cryptocurrency market faced another wave of liquidations on February 3. Within 24 hours, the number of liquidated positions across the entire network reached 720,000, totaling $2.21 billion (due to incomplete data statistics, Bybit CEO Ben Zhou speculated that the actual figure could reach $8 to $10 billion), with long positions liquidating at $1.87 billion and short positions at $340 million.

Among them, Ethereum was particularly noteworthy during this round of plummet, dropping as much as 25% in a single day, marking the largest single-day decline in nearly four years (since May 2021). Moreover, the total liquidation amount for Ethereum on that day reached $380 million, surpassing the liquidation amount for Bitcoin contracts.

After experiencing this wave of liquidations, market disappointment in Ethereum has peaked. There are also rumors that certain industry whales or institutions being liquidated during this market trend contributed to the sharp decline of ETH.

So, what is the current fundamental situation of Ethereum after weathering this storm? PANews analyzes various aspects such as contract open interest, ETF fund inflows, on-chain data, and token inflation to provide a comprehensive view of Ethereum.

Price Erases Yearly Gains, Contract Open Interest Hits New Highs

Firstly, in terms of price, Ethereum's lowest point in this round was $2,125, which, while not lower than the $2,111 correction in August 2024, had a larger single-day volatility, proving to be lethal for the contract market. From the peak of $4,107 to the lowest point, the correction over nearly 50 days reached 48%, with prices nearly returning to levels seen at the beginning of 2024. This has also sparked frustration among long-term holders.

Although Ethereum's market performance has not been impressive over the past year, the open interest in contracts has consistently increased across various exchanges, repeatedly breaking historical records. According to coinglass data, as of January 31, the total contract open interest for Ethereum reached $30 billion, while when Ethereum hit its historical high of $4,800 in 2021, this figure was only $11.4 billion. Following the market crash, as of February 5, the open contract amount for Ethereum across major exchanges dropped to $23.7 billion, a decrease of nearly $7 billion.

The comparison between open interest and price changes indicates a significant disparity between market expectations and actual performance, leading to continuous betting and ultimately resulting in the severe volatility of this short-term drop.

Recent Bottom Fishing in the U.S. Spot ETF Market?

Regarding the inflow of Ethereum ETF funds in the U.S., since November 6, there has been a noticeable increase in net inflow of funds into various institutional Ethereum ETFs. The highest single-day net inflow was recorded at $428 million on December 5. Of course, with the significant fluctuations in Ethereum's price, both single-day net inflows and outflows have seen marked increases. On January 8, the single-day ETF net outflow reached $159 million, setting a historical record.

On February 3, despite the sharp drop in Ethereum's price and significant losses in the contract market, ETF funds did not experience outflows; instead, on February 4, a net inflow of $300 million was recorded, marking the third-highest single-day net inflow. This suggests that traditional market institutions in the U.S. seem to be accumulating positions in this range.

As of February 4, the total net asset value of Ethereum ETFs is approximately $10.37 billion, accounting for 3.15% of Ethereum's market capitalization. In comparison, the total net asset value of BTC ETFs is about $116 billion, representing approximately 5.93% of its market capitalization, which is significantly higher than that of Ethereum. From this data, it appears that the impact of ETFs on Ethereum's market trend is still relatively small.

On-Chain Data Stagnates, Staking Continues to Flow Out

Of course, this round of decline is fundamentally caused by other macro factors. Ethereum's sharp drop is merely the weakest link in this downturn. From on-chain data, the number of daily active addresses for Ethereum reached a two-year high of 553,000 just before the crash on January 25, but has since been on a downward trend. In terms of on-chain revenue, the income level of the Ethereum mainnet is far below that of the same period last year, with daily income at a low of around $1 million. This may also explain why the inflow of on-chain staking has remained negative since mid-November.